Free-falling Utah hosts No. 3 Houston in a Tuesday night men’s college basketball clash at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Utes (9-14, 1-9 Big 12) have lost their last five games and face a tall order against the Cougars (21-2, 9-1 Big 12), who have won four straight since losing to Texas Tech in overtime on Jan. 24.
Our Houston vs. Utah prediction includes projected starting lineups, a full score forecast, and pregame analysis for the marquee Big 12 matchup.
Houston vs. Utah Projected Lineups and Key Matchups
Houston Cougars Starting Lineup
- Kingston Flemings (17.1 PPG)
- Emanuel Sharp (15.8 PPG)
- Milos Uzan (11.3 PPG)
- Chris Cenac Jr. (9.8 PPG)
- Joseph Tugler (8.0 PPG)
Utah Utes Starting Lineup
- Terrence Brown (21.1 PPG)
- Don McHenry (17.9 PPG)
- Keanu Dawes (12.6 PPG)
- Seydou Traore (9.2 PPG)
- James Okonkwo (2.7 PPG)
Houston vs Utah Prediction and Preview
Utah has gone into a steep decline after finishing its nonconference slate with an 8-5 record. The Utes have lost nine of their last 10 games, including their current five-game slide, which can largely be attributed to offensive struggles.
During that span, the Alex Jensen-coached team has averaged 73.8 points per game while allowing 83.3. Worse, Utah has continued to trend downward offensively, scoring 68, 63, and 59 points in its last three games against Oklahoma State, Arizona State, and No. 11 Kansas, respectively.
In their most recent outing against the Jayhawks, the Utes shot 40% from the field and managed just two made baskets over a nine-minute stretch in the second half, allowing Kansas to go on an 18-4 run and build a 60-44 lead with more than seven minutes remaining.
Despite limiting Kansas to 16.7% shooting from 3-point range, Utah failed to capitalize, going 5 of 18 from beyond the arc and compounding its offensive issues.
Dawes was the lone bright spot, finishing with 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting while grabbing 12 rebounds. However, Utah’s top two scoring threats, Brown and McHenry, were held to a combined 28 points on a miserable 9-of-31 shooting night.
MORE: PFSN Men’s CBB Power Rankings: Michigan Edges To the Top As Kansas Climbs
Meanwhile, Houston is coming off a 77-66 victory over AJ Dybantsa-led BYU, earning its fourth straight win and remaining firmly in the Big 12 regular-season title race.
Flemings led the Kelvin Sampson-coached squad with 19 points, 11 of which came in the second half. He shot 8 of 18 from the field and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line, while adding 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal in 35 minutes.
The 6’4″ San Antonio native has been excellent in his freshman season, averaging 17.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He is shooting 51.6% from the field, including 36.5% from 3-point range, and 82.6% from the free-throw line.
Cenac, Sharp, and Tugler combined for 40 points in the win over BYU, which was limited to just four made field goals over the final 13 minutes. Houston also held BYU to 39.6% shooting, dominated the glass 40-36, and scored 17 second-chance points off 13 offensive rebounds.
Limiting opponents offensively has been Houston’s calling card in recent seasons. The Cougars are holding teams to 61.6 points per game and 39.3% shooting from the field, fueled by their disciplined and efficient defense.
Houston should set the tone early by clamping down on Utah’s scorers and forcing turnovers that lead to easy transition points. The Utes will need to find a way to slow Flemings and Sharp to have any chance of staying competitive.
Prediction: Houston 85, Utah 63
How To Watch Houston vs. Utah
- Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026
- Time: 9 p.m. ET
- Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
- Arena: Jon M. Huntsman Center
- TV Channel: ESPN2
- Announcers: Dave Flemming (play-by-play) and Sean Farnham (analyst)
- Live Stream: Cougars All-Access
- Radio: 950 AM KPRC, the Varsity Network app, and SiriusXM Ch. 83
- Announcers: Jeremy Branham (play-by-play)
